Praying for the people of India

Another senseless blood bath - this time in Mombai, India. I really don't see how anybody can achieve anything positive with violent attacks like these. The killers will be killed and the only thing that they will have achieved is more hatred, more suffering and more killings of innocent people. Why? What on earth do they think they are doing? Do these murderers really believe that they are heroes? God will judge them, I'm sure.

There is something terribly wrong with human nature. This is our only hope: we need to follow Somebody who is not fighting-back and who is not calling us to take revenge. I have a clue who He is. We need to change from the inside-out, and that's not just true for terrorists - it's true for all of us!

To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. (Jesus in Luke 6, The Message)

Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." (Paul in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 12, the Message)

Do not starve yourself any longer

"O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises…whether you like it or not, read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days…do justice to your own soul; give it time and means to grow. Do not starve yourself any longer. Take up your cross and be a Christian altogether. Then will all the children of God rejoice..." (John Wesley, Letters to Mr. John Trembath, in Works, Vol. 12; page 254. Quoted in 'Three Simple Rules - A Wesleyan Way of Living', by Rueben P. Job)

Got Up Early

Have a look at my photo blog too...

Amazing Pics

Want to know what this is? Have a look here and be amazed...

Dilemma

Today I brought Sosha (daughter, 14) to school. She is recovering from a broken leg and is not able to bike or walk, of course. On my way back home I saw another girl, about the same age, standing next to her bicycle in the pouring rain. We live in a flat area (polder / reclaimed land) and the wind can be very fierce.
I stopped and asked this girl if she needed help. She looked cold and wet and told me that she had to go to her school in Nieuw Vennep, which is a distance of approx. 5 kilometers. I was hesitating. I wanted to help this girl and give her (and her bike) a ride to school, but at the same time I knew that I wouldn't approve when one of my own daugthers accepted this kind of help from a total stranger. I told her that she could make a phone call and ask for permission from her parents, but she had no cell phone on her and didn't want to use mine. I told her that I was willing to help, but that she had to make her own decision about it. She accepted my help and was happy that she arrived a bit earlier, dry and warm at school today!
Still, I don't know if I did the right thing... and I hate the fact that I even have to think about this. Because only a couple of people can't be trusted, it is getting hard to be kind to a girl that needs help. Any thoughts on this? Let me know.

Go to their rescue!

"All who are not on the Rock, are in the sea. Every soldier must go to their rescue!" - William Booth

Obama's victory and Jesse's tears

I did't write about the newly elected president of the United States yet. I know that many of my fellow Christians in the USA were supporting the Republican candidate John McCain, but I am excited about the choice that the majority of the American voters have made and I have high expectations of president Barack Obama. I pray that the change that he has promised to bring, will be a change for good.

In our country about 90% of the people were 'supporting' Barack Obama, but according to Dutch on-line news bulletin NIS they often have the wrong idea about Obama's views on several important issues:

Obama is against same-sex marriage, but 62 percent of the Dutch believe he is in favour of this. No less than 78 percent wrongly believe that Obama wants to abolish the death penalty, and 90 percent failed to believe that the statement "We will kill Osama bin Laden" was made by Obama. And three-quarters think that Obama wants to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan, while in fact he wants to send more troops there.

Another observation... I saw some TV images showing the Rev. Jesse Jackson tearing up, right after he had heard that Barack Obama was elected 44th president of the United States. I think that this emotional reaction says it all. His tears tell the story of the suffering and the joy of the black people and I fully understand his emotional reaction. Asked about the reason for his tears, Rev. Jackson explained the next morning that he was thinking about "...the martyrs and murdered whose blood made last night possible. I could not help think that this was their night." source

Another racial barrier has been removed and finaly a black man has reached the highest elected political office in the world. Race shouldn't be an issue in politics, but in real life it unfortunately often still is. I am happy that the Americans decided to elect an intelligent, eloquent and inspiring new leader, and the fact that he is a black man (well, more or less) is a bonus! Only half a century ago black people were totaly excluded from positions of power in the USA and many other parts of our world, but now Obama shows that this really belongs to the past. I hope and pray that president Barack Obama will be able to inspire people of all colours, faiths and backgrounds, that he will lead his country out of the current economic and politcal crises and that he will make some wise decisions in both domestic and foreign politics. May God bless, guide and protect him.